Next Thursday, April 18th at 10AM, Broad + Liberty will host a Zoom webinar titled “Chaos and Crisis: Behind the Walls of the George W. Hill Correctional Facility”.
This event, set from 10 AM to 11AM, will be moderated by Broad + Liberty CEO Terry Tracy and feature Chief Investigative Reporter Todd Shepherd and Wally Nunn, former Chairman of the Delaware County Council and Jail Oversight Board.
Since the successful deprivatization effort culminated in a transition to county management in 2022, the George W. Hill Correctional Facility has faced unprecedented challenges, highlighted by a marked increase in violence, a record number of inmate deaths including multiple inmate suicides, severe understaffing, and ongoing cost overruns. These issues have culminated in a security and humanitarian crisis that demands immediate public attention and action by public officials.
Todd Shepherd’s in-depth reporting on the prison has illustrated the degradation of safety and oversight at the facility in the years since county government assumed operational control:
- The alarming rise in inmate suicides, from a total of four between 2015 and 2021 to three over the course of just ten months due to severe gaps in supervisory protocols after county government assumed control of the facility.
- Persistent complaints from unionized staff about low morale and hazardous working conditions, compounded by the administration’s inadequate response to these dire staff safety issues.
- A series of violent incidents, including a noted five-on-one attack where inmates had time to clean up the scene before any guard intervention.
This webinar is targeted at concerned citizens, community leaders, policymakers, and activists, urging a collective push for transparency and reform in the management of the county’s correctional facility. It will also delve into the broader debate about prisons, profit motive, and the public good.
Event Details:
Title: Chaos and Crisis: Behind the Walls of George Hill Correctional Facility
Date: Thursday, April 18th
Time: 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
To participate in the webinar, please register using this link. This is a free event.